Five microsatellite loci were isolated from the bruchid Acanthoscelides obvelatus Bridwell (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Each locus was polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from two to 15. We found high levels of within-population variation at most loci, with heterozygosity ranging from 0.182 to 0.900. Cross-species amplification of these loci was tested in two other species of the genus Acanthoscelides, A. obtectus Say and A. argillaceus Sharp.